"With the increase in manufacturing companies, there has been a huge boost in opportunities for all disciplines of engineering in the Houston area," said Suzanne Stafford, senior recruiter/business development for CTS Technical Services, a niche staffing agency specializing in engineering design/drafting and CAD personnel for the offshore, oil and gas, petrochemical, refining, pipeline and power industries.

Most companies hiring contract engineers look for a higher-level, seasoned professional who can hit the ground running and carry out the job with little assistance or guidance.

"We work with contractors from entry level to the end of their careers, but the majority of contract employees in our database have 20-30 years of experience," Stafford said.

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And "some" position longevity is a plus.

"Our clients understand that contract employees will move around some, but we have the most difficulty placing contractors that have jumped around every six months to one year their career," Stafford said. "It is much easier to place a contract engineer that has five to 15 years of experience and has remained on a project or with a client for a minimum of two to three years."

Both contractor and client benefit from such an arrangement.

"Many contractors can make their own hours, work less than 40 hours a week and still make a nice salary," Dukes said. "And depending on the project and company, some contractors work for more than one company at a time."

Working from home can be an option, along with higher pay and time off between projects. On the downside, contractors typically pay for their own health and life insurance, and occasionally taxes, depending their pay arrangements.

"Some people like the variety and would get bored working the same job for a long period of time," said Brian G. Haydel, P.E., president, International Technical Services LLC, an engineer recruiting firm. "For some people it's less stressful to work a job without getting caught up in office politics."

For the company, the primary benefit to hiring a contractor is money. It can save thousands in benefits, payroll and taxes. It also saves on the human resources side in not having to terminate employees who just do not fit, as well as the financial burden of exit interviews or a severance package at the end of a project.

"Contractors are of particular use if a client needs a particular expertise, but only for a short period of time, and sometimes companies use contract people to circumvent internal hiring freezes," Haydel said.

Contractors are often people who are close to or already have retired and have been lured back into the workplace where their skill set and experience combined with the latest technology make them a very valuable asset.

"The best way to find contract employment would be to register with a staffing agency that provides employment for your particular discipline," Stafford said.